ISLAMABAD - Federal Minister for Housing and Works Chaudhry Tariq Bashir Cheema has announced on Friday that the Naya Pakistan Housing Programme would be launched in Balochistan on Sunday (tomorrow).
He was addressing a press conference here at Press Information Department along with State Minister for Housing and Works Muhammad Shabbir Ali Qureshi and Parliamentary Secretary Tashfeen Safdar.
He said his ministry in collaboration with the provincial government would construct one hundred and thirty-five thousand apartments under the first phase of Prime Minister’s flagship programme which includes a housing society for fishermen in Gwadar.
Tariq Bashir Cheema further informed that twenty-five thousand apartments will be built for federal government employees in Islamabad but all of these will not be constructed at the site where Prime Minister had inaugurated the project few days back.
Minister says programme includes housing society for fishermen in Gwadar
“Around 6000 apartments would only be constructed on a plot of 7 acres at sector G-13 while rest of the housing units would be accommodated at other sites in twin cities,” he said, informing: “3100 and 8500 housing units would be constructed at revenue estates of Hakla near Tarnol and Bajnial in addition to the construction of multi-storey buildings at revenue estates of Tarlai and Chaklala.”
The minister further informed that the Prime Minister has already approved establishment of an apex body by the name of “Naya Pakistan Housing Authority” in order to look after or supervise the housing projects till its completion.
He said the authority would also provide one-window operations to facilitate the construction industry and regulate the private sector through an enabling environment.
Cheema said Naya Pakistan Housing Company is also being registered in Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan as a stopgap arrangement to achieve the targeted growth of the project.
He informed the journalists that a number of foreign countries are taking keen interest in the programme and their state owned and private construction companies are in contact with the government of Pakistan to take part in this gigantic initiative.
Responding to a question regarding a British-Pakistan businessman Aneel Mussarat, the federal minster said that he did not see any involvement of Aneel Mussarat in NPHP since the assumption of his charge as minister for housing and works.
He, however, maintained that they cannot stop anybody form investing in the programme and it is possible that Aneel Mussart would become an investor in future and said: “We will welcome whosoever would want to take part in this project.”
He criticised the previous government for signing tainted contracts for Federal Government Employees Housing Foundation’s schemes and said that he is not in the position to comment on the previous conduct of the housing foundation and suggested that the question of the performance should be asked to him after few years.
At the end of his press conference, when he was asked a question regarding his involvement in the burning of houses by influential people in his constituency, he declined to respond and said the respective deputy commissioner and other government functionaries are supposed to answer this question.
